“We saw it first with the Oklahoma City bombing, then Columbine, 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina; every other week journalists find themselves covering a traumatic event at their front door step,” director Ray McCaffrey is quoted as saying.

The event won’t be all talk, though. According to the university, in addition to a panel discussion and Q & A , attendees will also be trained in how to “better interview victims of crimes, natural disasters and other traumatic events.”

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Last month, the center hosted an ethics summit on journalists needing to “take care of yourself,” as iMediaEthics previously reported. It also held a free lecture in early October about “Photographs that Changed us.”

Bobbie Foster, the assistant director for the center, told iMediaEthics by e-mail: “We normally have three major events every fall — a public lecture given by the visiting distinguished professor of Ethics, an ethics summit and finally our media workshop.”

“The center was started about two years ago, and this is our first year with a full staff to help plan and promote events,” Foster wrote.

“The media workshop is our biggest event each fall. We hope to provide good quality professional training for students and journalists for free. We try to plan these events to meet the needs of our local newsrooms and pr firms. We encourage everyone to come, students, journalism teachers, and professionals,” she added.